


Pallet Town Shorts

by pennymediocrity



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Palletshipping, Sick!Ash AU, Ultimate Cheese, cute and stupid, socially awkward gary, the hankie was gary's all along, the lightest of angst, unconnected/conntected oneshots and drabbles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:26:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28360122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pennymediocrity/pseuds/pennymediocrity
Summary: A collection of oneshots and drabbles featuring our favourite Pallet Town boys.Previous: Chapter 1 - it took Ash landing himself in hospital to have Gary realise the mistake he'd made.Current: Chapter 2 - Kalos has a way of reminding Ash of old times. That summer camp back in Pallet Town had been great. Gary had been so nice about Ash giving away his hankie.Next: Chapter 3 - Bulbasaur had never been fond of his trainer's first rival. Now that he's a suitor, Bulbasaur will have to up his game as Ash's #1 protective 'mon.
Relationships: Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak & Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Comments: 3
Kudos: 46





	1. Sick!Ash AU - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It took Ash landing himself in hospital to make Gary realise the mistake he'd made.

Gary started to hate himself the moment the words left his mouth, but his instant regret did nothing to stop the torrent of rehearsed lines from hitting their target. He definitely said more than had intended, and caused more hurt than he thought himself capable of ever inflicting on someone. And on his best friend, no less. Perhaps he could blame this sudden lapse in judgment on a brief episode of insanity. Gary had felt possessed when he had bore down on the other boy, unjustifiably berating him for things that don't even make sense now that he thought about them. Maybe it had been a malicious ghost that had caused it, but maybe he was just a bad person. That was becoming more of a reality every time Gary thought about Ash's tearstained, downtrodden face when the smaller boy had run away from their meeting place. Ash had walked up to him that day; happy and open as usual. Gary destroyed that when he seemingly lost his mind and started a mostly one-sided shouting match.

It was for the best. This was the only way. It would never work out otherwise.

He'd been repeating his reasoning over and over in his mind, trying to somehow self validate his actions. The more time passed, the more regret and guilt he felt. Looking at Ash now, halfway across the classroom, Gary was finding it harder and harder to not give in and apologise. He wanted to pull Ash aside and beg for forgiveness. They had been attached at the hip for so long. He didn’t think it would be so painful to be apart. It was like losing a piece of himself. Gary certainly didn't come out from that day unscathed either. He remembered watching Ash disappear from sight, and then immediately hiding away behind their tree, bawling his eyes out.

He would stay strong from now on.

But Ash looked meek and pale. He was with a couple of their classmates, and could not look more alone. Gary couldn't remember the last time, before he opened to big mouth, Ash looked so sad.

It was all wrong and he had done this to him.

Gary just hoped that this would be worth it, and that he wouldn't majorly regret acting like a massive jerk and ruining his friendship with Ash.

\--

He hadn't thought too much about it at first; Gary just put it down to Ash being rightfully depressed because of what his so-called best friend had cruelly screamed at him in what should have been their safe place. Ash started missing days of school. Nothing crazy at first. One or two days here and there. Pretty normal for cooler seasons. Ash had been pretty prone to catching colds. He loved the outdoors; extra layers and his own wellbeing were always the absolute last afterthought. Without someone there to remind him, well, he'd get sick of course. Then it started to become weeks at a time. Gary spent most of that time trying to act normal and quietly freaking out to really consider what the reason behind it all was. Just when he would feel he was on the last of this nerves, Ash would come to class again. A little pale, but present.

But then Ash landed in hospital.

Grandpa had always told him that eavesdropping was rude, and Gary had always felt that in his core, but he couldn’t resist when he overheard a hysteric Mrs Ketchum on the phone. Ash had collapsed at home when Delia was out grocery shopping. He had been in a bad way when the ambulance rushed him to the hospital.

Gary doesn't really remember what happened next. His grandfather told him that he would be back late that night, before quickly rushing out the door. Somehow, Gary had made it up to his room, where his world fell apart even more.

The next thing he could recall was morning after, like that night had passed in the blink of an eye. Gary heard the front door opening, and ran out to greet his grandfather who was lethargically shucking off his overcoat.

'Good morning, Gary.'

'Grandpa,' he said. 'Is he…?'

'He'll be okay.'

\--

Gary didn't know what came over him, but he was instantly asking his grandfather whether he was allowed to go see Ash at the hospital.

Slightly taken aback, but not entirely surprised, his grandfather nodded amiably. 'Of course, my boy,' he said. 'Just let your old grandpa get some rest first, and we'll be on our way.'

'I'm sorry, grandpa,' Gary said. 'Of course you're tired. I could go by myself.'

'It's okay,' he assured. 'I was already planning to return this afternoon, and let Delia get some rest as well. She shooed me home before I could do the same to her.' His grandfather walked towards him, and placed both hands on Gary shoulders. The boy didn't know how tense he was until he felt himself droop with his guardian's warmth. He had missed this comforting presence, being inside his own head for so long. 'Plus, I think you could use some rest too. I may not know what's gotten into you two, but I think it's time you worked this out, hm?'

'I said so many mean things to him, grandpa. Do you think it's not too late?'

The professor smiled knowingly, turned Gary around and started to walk him to bed. 'I know you might not believe it, but I was young once too. I've had my fair share of heated arguments with friends, and threw around things that weren't true and instantly regret saying.'

Gary found it hard imagine his grandfather, ever wise and kind, doing any of those things. 'What happened to those friends? Could you fix things in the end?'

'I found that if you value your friendship enough with someone, you'll do anything to stitch things back together. Sometimes this might not be mutual, and you'll have to let go. But Gary,' he said, making him sit on his bed. His grandfather, knelt down in front of him still smiling. 'Your friendship with Ash is worth every effort you could possibly make, and you might find that things haven't gotten as bad as you think.'

Gary could only look at him with uncertainty.

'It'll work out,' said his grandfather. 'Don't worry about it too much. Get some rest.'

He was then left to his own devices. Trusting his grandfather's wisdom, Gary tried to get some much needed sleep. Maybe he spent a little too long rolling around, thinking about Ash and how he could apologise, but he eventually drifted off.

\--

Delia smiled tiredly at Gary and motioned him in. 'Go on,' she said. 'I'm sure Ash will love to see you.' She then shared a look with his grandfather, which Gary didn’t quite understand, but it looked a little like relief.

He stumbled into Ash's room, where he was greeted with a drowsy but warm smile Gary had missed so much. Ash was still so happy to see him, even though he definitely didn't deserve it anymore.

In the same fashion he had spewed out his vicious words that day, like a possessed man, Gary apologised.

Very soon, Gary found himself sitting anxiously sitting in the chair placed next to Ash's bed. He couldn't quite find the courage to look his friend in the eye, but he was glad that although he looked tired, Ash seemed very much okay. 

'I'm not mad.'

'You're not?' Gary sat straight up in his chair, gaping at Ash. 'But you've been so sad.'

'I've been sad because you've been ignoring me.' Ash gave him a soft smile, 'I've missed you.'

'I'm sorry.'

'It's okay. I missed you, but I also didn't want to bother you.'

Gary was so lost. 'What do you mean?'

'You're always thinking too hard. I can tell when you're doing it,' said Ash. The raven haired boy leant over the railing to poke gently between Gary's brows. 'You start to get this weird look on you face where you start to get all scrunched up here. And you also get really spacey and quiet. You started doing it a couple of days before our fight.'

'I mean, it was a little different from the last few times…' Ash continued. 'Remember the time Mikey and Johnny's parents split up but they invited us to their house? You spent so long thinking about which house it was going to be, and grumbling about being careful about not mentioning the divorce. Or that time with Nickie and the bug Pokémon catching competition? You felt bad about making her cry, so you spent an entire week trying to figure out a way to apologise. You could have just given her the prize. You don’t even like cinnamon flavoured popcorn. And that other time whe-…'

'Okay, I get it,' said Gary, only slightly waking from his thoughts enough to catch Ash's hand to stop his insistent prodding. He hadn't really minded it though. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the term 'touch-starved' popped into existence. 

'Well?' Ash asked expectantly, 'Are you going to tell me what you've been thinking about?'

Gary stared at Ash, pretty impressed with the boy's observations. His embarrassment was the most prominent emotion though. So maybe he overthought things a little. He had never expected Ash to catch everything.

'We can’t both be Pokémon masters,' he mumbled. Ash just blinked at him blankly.

Gary couldn't help himself. He started rambling about the logistics of them setting out on their journeys with the same dream when only one them could realistically achieve it at a time. He started talking them getting in each other's way, and about the inevitable fall out that would happen. He then went on about trying to end things early so that it wouldn't be as ugly when they got older, and that he had planned a nicer way of saying things, but it all went wrong, and he didn't know what to do, but he's super sorry about it.

Gary went on and on about all the worries and thoughts that had been going through his head for the past few months, and would have probably gone on for longer if he hadn't heard Ash giggling.

'Hey!' Gary felt pretty hurt at this stage. Here he was, laying his heart out for his best friend to see, and the boy was finding humour in it all? 'Why are you laughing at me?'

'I'm sorry, Gary. Don't be mad. You're thinking way too hard again,' said Ash. 'You're the one who told me that becoming a Pokémon master will take years of work and training. Why would you be so worried about it now? I'm sure you'll have it all figured out by the time it actually matters.'

Stumped, Gary mumbled, 'I'm supposed to be the smart one…'

'You just think too hard.'

'I'm sorry Ash.'

'I said I'm not mad.'

'Yeah, you said that,' said Gary, 'But do you forgive me?'

Ash grinned at him cheekily, 'I'll forgive you on one condition. You have to promise to let me into that head of yours when you're thinking about things too hard again.'

'I'm not even sure I can tell when I'm doing it.'

'You have to try!'

'Fine. I'll try, I promise.'

'Yay,' said Ash. 'So our plans haven’t changed, right? We'll go on our journeys together? We promised.'

'Yeah, that's the plan.'

\--

Their plans did change a little bit over the next couple of years. Ash spent a while going in and out of hospital, and his recovery wasn't the smoothest. For a long while, he had more bad days than good. Gary tried to best to be there for his friend, and Ash eventually got better, having more good days than bad.

Both Ash's mother and his grandfather still had reservations about letting Ash go travelling the world by the time their journey together was due to begin. They made the two boys promise to stick together, made Ash promise to tell Gary when things were wrong, and made Gary promise to do his best to take care of Ash. This of course, suited their plans just fine.

They've made their fair share of promises to each other, and they were pretty determined to keep each and every one of them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash's emotional intelligence can be a little jarring sometimes when juxtaposed to the dumb shit he does and says in the anime. For being what they've made to be an eternal ten year old, the things that come out of his mouth are pretty astounding. I may have turned that kind of insight up pretty far this chapter, but I thought it would be fun to make Gary kind of socially inept. I relate to Gary; a pro in overthinking.


	2. Kalos - Falling for Nostalgia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kalos had a way of reminding Ash of old times. That summer camp back in Pallet Town had been great. Gary had been so nice about Ash giving away his hankie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot write a drabble to save my life, even if my definition of 'drabble' is a little loose. I will eventually learn how to get to the point.

Perhaps literally stumbling head first out of the plane into Kalos had been a bad omen, but Ash's excitement knew no bounds. He was starting his next chapter; a new region with endless possibilities, people and Pokémon. Unfortunately, falling would become the new theme of his journey.

Ash hadn't planned on falling off of that building. At the time, he could only think about helping that poor Garchomp and saving Pikachu. Anyone would have done the same thing given the chance. He truly believed that, or at least he tried to explain it that way to Gary who was chewing him out over the phone.

'Ash, you'd think that after falling out of a plane, you would think to slow things down a little,' said Gary.

'You're just being dramatic,' replied Ash. 'I didn’t fall out of a plane, that's ridiculous.'

'You tripped and stumbled down the stairs which were attached to a plane. I think that's close enough,' said Gary. 'Listen, I can see what you're doing. Don't change the subject. What the hell did you think you were doing, Ash Ketchum?'

He rubbed the back of his head, abashed. 'I don't really have a good answer to that.'

'You could have died!' the brunet exclaimed. 'And you didn't even tell me yourself! I had to find out by having a newbie show me a clip of the news. I've been here ripping at my hair while getting everything finished before I come over, and you're out there stressing me out by putting yourself in danger again!'

'I'm sorry for stressing you out,' Ash apologised, shoulders drooping. He really hadn’t mean to worry his boyfriend this much. Gary looked so tired.

'No, I'm sorry.' The young researcher let out a long sigh. 'I didn't mean to make you feel bad about yourself. You don't know how worried I was. We were meant to travel to Kalos together. If Professor Rowan hadn't needed me so suddenly, I would have been there with you. I just can't stop thinking about 'what if's, you know? I'm glad you're okay now.'

They stared a each other for a long while, both wishing that there wasn't so much distance between them.

'You'll still come, right?' Ash asked with a hopeful expression.

Gary get him a soft smile. 'Yeah, I'm just about done here. I'll see you in a couple of days.'

'I can't wait,' Ash grinned.

'Me neither.'

'For what it's worth, Gary,' Ash began earnestly, 'I am really sorry. I didn't mean to make you so worried again. Please don't be mad at me.'

'Thanks, Ash. Just take care of yourself before I see you again. I want my boyfriend to be in one piece when I spend time with him.'

\--

After Unova, travelling with Clemont and Bonnie was both refreshing and strangely familiar. Cilan had been reliable, albeit pretty quirky, and Iris had mellowed out a little once Gary had set her straight. He missed the two Unovians much like he missed his other past travel buddies, but he never got quite as close to them. It was as though there was always a distance between them. Ash put it down to the timing, with him feeling guilty for replacing the ever reliable Brock so quickly, and just being disorientated feeling so alone in Unova. If anyone bothered to ask Gary for his opinion, the young researcher would say it was just that the two were subpar; Iris was his least favourite person.

Clemont and Bonnie on the other hand, reminded him of May and Max. Ash saw a mixture of them in both. It made his heart ache a little with nostalgia; yearning for the company of his dear friends. He hadn't known how much he missed playing big brother until meeting the two blond siblings, even if Clemont was more or less his age.

The addition of Froakie had been a pleasant surprise. A few familiar stories of abandonment floated to the forefront of his mind, making him glad that he had spent time with his previous team back at the lab before leaving for Kalos. Together, they will make better memories to replace the old.

Meeting Serena again had been interesting. She reminded Ash a little of May; a little lost and insecure, but determined. There was a little of Dawn too; she had been already her own person and required only the slightest prodding plus encouragement. Serena was the same age as Ash, and perhaps more grounded, making her a little like Misty too.

Ash had set out on his journey expecting to experience new things and meet new people, which was happening, he just never expected to be reminiscing about past journeys. It made him feel a little old, but fuzzy and warm as well with so many fond memories floating in his head.

His was reminded of the fondest of them all when Serena handed him a handkerchief. A sudden pang of familiarity hit him, taking Ash back to the days when things seemed hazy. There weren't as many people in Ash's life. The world was just his mother, Professor Oak and Gary, with blurry recollections of a barely-there Daisy, and other children.

\--

_'Hey, Gary!' Ash shouted, trying to get his best friend's attention. They were at Professor Oak's Summer Camp. He wasn't sure if it was really different from every other day, seeing as he spent most of his time at the lab with Gary anyway, but it was kind of fun to see a bunch of new kids around. Activities hadn't started for the day, but Ash got bored after breakfast and decided to wander off for a while._

_'I was wondering where you had run off to,' said Gary._

_He ran top speed towards the brunet, almost knocking them both over when he had tried to stop. 'Look what I found,' Ash exclaimed while holding out his hands proudly._

_Gary looked on as dutifully as a best friend could, and was surprised at what the raven-haired boy had found. 'Where did you pick them up from, Ash? It's a tail feather from a Pidgeot. You don't see those everyday.'_

_Ash's eyes widened, sparkling with excitement. 'I went up to the big pond with the fallen trees. There's a nice clearing once you get over the old logs.'_

_Gary took one look at Ash's dirty face and hands, and took out his spare hankie. This one was a souvenir from his sister; two-toned blue with a small pokeball motifs. He held Ash's face still and gently cleaned around the cheeks and chin, before snatching at the raven's hands. Ash grinned happily at Gary, bouncing constantly with his endless energy. 'Hold still for once, will you?' he snapped without any heat._

_'But we have to hurry, otherwise the Pidgeot will fly away.'_

_'I would be surprised if it was still there,' Gary sighed. 'You're not the most quiet person.'_

_Ash clutched sadly at the hankie, 'But I really want to see it…'_

_Gary backtracked real quickly. 'You know what? Pidgeot's a fully evolved Pokémon, there's no way it would be scared off by a small kid.' He took Ash's hand that was still clamped around the handkerchief, and dragged the boy towards the big pond. Laughing and running all the way, Ash spent most of the time defending his height, claiming that he wasn't_ that _small._

_They ended up seeing the Pidgeot right when it was about to fly away. Panting profusely, the boys watched in wonder as the great bird Pokémon spread its wings and took off into the sky._

_Ash was ecstatic. 'It's beautiful!' he said excitedly. 'Do you think we'll meet again?'_

_'Maybe,' replied Gary is his own quiet wonderment. 'Come on, let's head back before the activities start and people get worried about us.'_

_They walked back to camp together, still hand in hand. Ash rambled about hopefully catching a Pidgeot one day, and Gary nodded along, content._

_'Thanks for cleaning me up, Gary,' Ash said at lunch. 'Otherwise I would have been scolded by one of the mean aunties again.'_

_Gary smiled at him. 'Just return it cleaned, and we'll call it square.'_

_'Okay!'_

_One of the parent volunteers, a nice lady, helped Ash wash and dry it after dinner that night, but he was so caught up in the day's excitement to remember to return it to Gary. They were split up into separate groups the next day, and by the time Ash remembered about the hankie in his pocket, he was helping a girl with a her hurt knee._

_He was worried that Gary would be mad at him for losing the hankie, but he wasn't at all._

_'Always the hero, Ashy?' laughed Gary. 'It's just like you to go around helping pretty girls…'_

_'Huh? She had a pretty straw hat, I guess.'_

_Gary rolled his eyes at Ash fondly._

_'I'll have to get you a new hankie,' said Ash._

_'Don't worry about it. I've got plenty more where that came from.'_

\--

Kalos was sure to be an interesting place. He'd been pretty preoccupied with several projects in Sinnoh. Travelling had unfortunately not been a requirement for any of them. So this was a first in a long while. Gary steps out of the plane, taking extra care to do dive head first into Kalos like Ash did. He should be more excited to explore this new region, but he was more excited to see Ash in person again.

Their schedules hadn't matched up when the trainer had returned to Pallet Town from Unova. Gary had been stuck with the task of time-managing a bunch of over-qualified-but-bad-at-life old scholars at time. Ash had laughed when he had video-called, but Gary could tell that he was disappointed. Professor Rowan had then helpfully reminded Gary that he was very much overdue to take his scheduled leave. So he and Ash agreed that they would travel to Kalos together, and Gary would stick around for a bit. Or at least until some other incompetent newbie blew something up for Gary to fix. Unfortunately, like foreshadowing, that was exactly what happened a few days before Gary was due to fly to Kalos.

So here he was, heading over to catch Ash and his new crew before they made their round trip back to Lumiose City. Gary briefly wondered what they would think of him suddenly appearing and inviting himself along. He imagined Ash would tell him to stop overthinking it; it was originally meant to be just the two of them, after all.

Their reunion was sweet, as long as you considered being glomped by Ash after he'd gotten a running start to be sweet. A normal person would sure to have collapsed under the sudden onslaught. Gary, growing up around the boy and being with him for so long, was no normal person and took the whole thing in his stride. Ash who was suddenly feeling shy, only ever in front people who weren't entirely familiar with their relationship, gave Gary a quick peck on the cheek.

A little blonde girl ran up to them with that naïve courage and excitement that only a young child could possess. 'Ash!' she said brightly, 'Is this the special person you said was coming to meet us?'

'Yeah, Bonnie,' Ash said. A little nervous, he scratched lightly at his cheek. 'This is Gary.'

'Is he you boyfriend?' Bonnie asked expectantly.

Gary could only chuckle at her enthusiasm. 'At your service, little miss,' he said with a flourish. She laughed delightedly. This one was cute. He got the feeling that she and a young kid Ash had a lot in common. Pikachu, who Bonnie had been holding, slipped out from her arms to perch happily on Gary's shoulder. He would let Umbreon out later so that they could have their own little reunion.

'Ash,' a boy around their age said, 'Are you going to introduce us?'

'Yeah!' Ash said. 'Bonnie, Clemont, Serena, I would like you all to meet Gary. He is the special person I've been talking about.'

'He's Ash's boyfriend,' Bonnie teased kindly.

Ash could only blush.

'Hi Gary,' said Clemont, holding his hand out, 'I see you've met my sister, Bonnie. I would say we've heard a lot of good things, but Ash has been pretty mysterious. It would be nice to actually get to know the person he's been all hush, hush about.'

Gary shook his hand, this group was already shaping up to be ten times better than the Iris gang. Sorry Cilan. 'Sure, seeing as we'll be travelling together. We'll have plenty of opportunities.'

Two out of three down. Gary looked around for the last person, Serena, in the group. The girl looked very vaguely familiar; like a face he'd seen eons ago through heavy fog. She also looked very disappointed, and was trying and failing to hide it behind a cheery smile.

_'Oh boy. Here we go again.'_

\--

Bonnie, the tiny angel in disguise, dragged her brother and Serena off while exclaiming that they should leave the two lovebirds alone to have lunch together.

They found a cute hole-in-the-wall café and snuggled down into one of their more hidden tables. Side by side, Ash regaled his short time in Kalos; meeting his new companions, catching new Pokémon and his first gym battle. He also explained why Gary had found Serena to be hazily familiar.

'And look at this,' said Ash, 'I finally have your handkerchief back.'

The young researcher could only stare fondly at the sweet trainer before kissing him.

Gary always kept a spare handkerchief on his person out of habit. A habit that was probably born with Ash's tendency as a child to get cuts and scrapes. He vaguely remembered this handkerchief being from a pack that Daisy brought back from Hoenn. She'd said it was cute that he took such good care of little Ashy, and that she would happily supply him with unlimited hankies as long as he kept it up. Gary used to shrug her comments off as silly teenaged nonsense.

He understood it now. It had been pretty cute. 

However, this handkerchief, as sweet and nostalgic the memories it brought them, definitely meant more to the Serena than anyone else. Gary kissed Ash on the forehead, telling him to return it. Gently, he stressed. The trainer gave him a very slightly confused expression, but smiled and agreed nonetheless. Bless his soul. He'll catch on eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the start of hating on Serena, I like her as one of the travel companions. Gary at this point in his relationship with Ash, would feel secure enough that he's not super bothered by the whole thing. I think Serena is a good person and would know to back off and just be happy, albeit a little sad, that Ash is in a functional relationship. They're probably like 17 at this stage? That's reasonable, I think. Also, a wild Daisy appears - I might regret blending mediums. 
> 
> I again relate to Gary; Iris is my least favourite person.


End file.
